Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Pokan, R; Huonker, M; Schumacher, M; Zweiker, R; Eber, B; Starz, I; Klein, W.
ECG of the athlete's heart
Acta Med Austriaca. 1994; 21(3):76-82
Web of Science
PubMed
- Co-Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz
- Schumacher Martin
- Zweiker Robert
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- Abstract:
- The athlete's heart is characterized by eccentric hypertrophy of all cardiac cavities and there is a close connection to increased tone of the vagal system. As a consequence, not only arrhythmias are observed in the ECG of healthy athletes, but also changes in the QRS complex and in the ST-T-segment. Left ventricular hypertrophy is diagnosed in ECG by a positive Sokolow-Lyon index. The frequent finding of a right ventricular conduction delay is possibly due to hypertrophy of the myocardium in the apex of the right ventricle. The causes of various T wave changes are generally unclear and await further diagnostic clarification. In cases when normalization of the T-wave deviation is observed under stress, such changes are of functional nature. Echocardiography is indicated in any case to establish the heart's size and function; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has to be excluded. Frequent cardiac dysrhythmias found in athletes are sinus bradycardia and sinus arrhythmia, less often escape rhythms are seen. A arrhythmia more often found in athletes is the respiration-dependent simple atrioventricular dissociation. Also, escape rhythms are observed in some cases with ventricular origin. Finally, a pronounced vagotonia can lead to a prolonged conduction time; AV-blocks of all degrees of severity are observed in athletes. The functional character of these arrhythmias can be easily demonstrated by their disappearance under stress.
- Find related publications in this database (using NLM MeSH Indexing)
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac - diagnosis
- Cardiac Volume - physiology
- Cardiomegaly - diagnosis
- Diagnosis, Differential - diagnosis
- Echocardiography - diagnosis
- Electrocardiography - diagnosis
- Heart Conduction System - physiopathology
- Hemodynamics - physiology
- Humans - physiology
- Physical Endurance - physiology
- Physical Fitness - physiology
- Sports - physiology
- Find related publications in this database (Keywords)
- Athletes Heart
- ECG
- St-T-Deviation
- Arrhythmias